Opening Statement:
"That is exactly how I drew it up. You have to be good and you have to be lucky. We were pretty lucky at the end to get the win. Pe'Shon [Howard] drove the ball, we learned. Kentucky we needed a three but we didn't pass it; Florida State we didn't drive it, we settled for a jump shot. Tonight we drove it and it freed up to the boards. We never quit; we battled. We still weren't any good offensively. Give them credit. They are very talented offensively but they are more talented defensively than I anticipated. That is one heck of a basketball team, and they are going to win a lot of games. We played with a lot of toughness. Our post defense was great; transition was okay, it wasn't quite good enough, but they are good. It was a hard-fought win. When you are young starting two freshmen, two sophomores, and a sophomore who wasn't here last year it isn't going to be easy. I am really happy for the guys because I have been on them very hard since Florida State."

On the big win:
"It is just one game. We are going to celebrate; I was happy for the guys and the students storming the court. I was more concerned about the North Carolina State players and nothing happening. We haven't won a big game since Greivis [Vasquez] was here. I didn't come here to be mediocre, and I don't think the players came here to be mediocre. I asked them before the game why they came here. I told them I came here to be part of something that is much bigger than myself: Maryland basketball - tremendous tradition and a very storied program. I came here to do great things. We haven't done a lot of great things since I have come here, but this is one great thing. Hopefully it will lead to a lot of other things and help us in areas down the road. To beat a team like that in a year when you have six newcomers it's pretty good. I know it was at home with a great crowd but it was still a great win."

On the familiarity with close games:
"We were sitting over there thinking this isn't any fun. I looked up and it was 14-10 with five minutes to go [in the first half] and thought it wasn't any fun, but you have to win the game. In the end it's a win against a very good team. This is where we are right now. I don't know what the problem is offensively. I thought we executed better tonight, we were much more patient, but we just couldn't finish and we weren't getting to the foul line. The last three games we haven't gotten to the foul line. It was a grinder; it was a grinder against Florida State and Miami, we were used to it. Our guys were determined to come out on top. We got a little bit lucky but we will take it."

On Nick Faust's play at point:
"I have to watch the film but I thought Nick [Faust] was pretty good early. Pe'Shon [Howard] played 20 minutes so there is 20 minutes that Nick didn't play point right there. I think I had Seth [Allen] at point a little. I think Nick was at point for 15-17 minutes. I thought he did well. He still got 11 shots up. He only had one turnover - that was a key. I have to get Dez [Wells] playing a little bit better. Dez didn't turn the ball over tonight which was a step in the right direction. Nick was good. We will watch the film and get better."

Sophomore Center Alex LenOn the game-winning play:
"[Pe'Shon Howard] says it wasn't a miss, it was a pass. The play was for Logan [Aronhalt], but Pe'Shon was driving it. He said it was a pass, I don't know what it was. I just tipped it in."

On the win:
"We had two tough losses. Now it's like a bounce back for us; just to get back on track. It's also a great victory for our program and this Maryland team. We're really happy about this."

On the team's defense:
"With the scouting report, I think everyone was prepared for the game. We were ready. We played great defense. It was the key."

Freshman guard Seth AllenOn the win:
"It's a great feeling. All week Coach talked about making a mark in history. He's always stressed that it takes hard work. I think we worked hard and got a great win tonight."

On the defensive performance:
"We guarded our butts off tonight. It took a lot of effort; it's because we are such a deep team. North Carolina State doesn't play that many guys. We were fresh coming off the bench and were able to play harder."

On the final possession:
"Coach drew it up, but it broke down when we ran it. We learned from past losses that we should drive the basket. Pe'Shon drove hard and they had three defenders guarding the ball. On the miss Alex [Len] crashed the boards like he always does and made a great play."

Sophomore guard Nick FaustOn Pe'Shon Howard:
"I think he played with a chip on his shoulder tonight. He played well today on both sides of the ball, and I think he did a good job."

On the impact of the win:
"This win is going to help us a lot. I think our confidence is going to grow. Having a great win like this is good for us, especially since it was the first big one in a while."

NC State Coach Mark Gottfried

Opening Statement:
"Obviously it's disappointing. I think the guys played really hard, and I thought we battled as hard as we could battle on a night where offensively, we couldn't do a lot of things right. I loved our effort and really the game just comes down to a fingertip. I think if Calvin tips that last shot it's probably over in our favor. Pe'Shon [Howard] got the ball right over his fingertips there and they tipped it in. We got a good look the trip before that; Scott [Wood] got a high percentage shot for us, and just didn't make it. They made the play there at the end, and give them credit."

On their performance offensively:
"Offensively, we were pretty bad. We bobbled balls, we had shots around the rim we couldn't make. The one play late in the second half, Richard had at it under the rim and just lost it out of bounds. It was one of those nights; you're going to have those. We haven't had a lot of them this year. I thought our defense and our effort were phenomenal. Our fight to get back in the game was unbelievable. We started off the game 10-0 down. We were down nine or 10 in the second half, fought right back, and put ourselves in a position to win. It was a phenomenal effort; we just came up a finger nail short."

On the zone defense:"It helped us eliminate some of their dribble penetration--that's where I thought they were being the most effective--but I thought they were beginning to figure it out. It did help us for a long period."

On how tonight's loss affects the Duke win:
"They all count as one. I always say that, and there is a lot of truth to that. I'm not into the whole validating Duke thing. There are going to be teams that will finish near, or at the top of, this league that are going to lose some road games. We're going to move on from it. I loved our effort and we're going to pick ourselves up and play on Saturday."

NC State Senior Forward Scott Wood

On what it was like to take the league late and lose on a last section shot:
"I mean it's tough. Obviously we lost by a fingertip, but we had opportunities. I didn't play quite that well. I didn't knock down the shots that I needed to at the end there. That's what happens."

On each team having streaks of scoring:
"I mean obviously both teams played extremely physical. They played really good defense and that's probably the reason they had those long runs."

On how much defense factored into the game:
"I thought we played pretty good defense. We just couldn't throw the ball in the ocean if we were standing next to it. It is what it is. They played extremely well, you have to give them credit. They got the win at the end of the day."

On the team's maturity:
"We stuck together--that was the main thing. We definitely didn't give up or lay down for them. It's tough, but at the same time some things weren't going our way. That's what happens if the ball bounces one way, or you miss a shot you should have made, you're not going to win the game."

NC State Junior Guard Lorenzo Brown

On coming back after starting slow:
"There was no doubt in my mind that we were going to come back and play our best."

On his ability to score in the second half:
"I was just staying aggressive and playing team ball. [My team] really helped me get to where I needed to be on the floor."

On if he thought his jumper at the end of the game would hold the lead for them:
"I don't know; I shot with confidence so I was hoping that it would go in."

On if today's game shows the team still has to grow:
"No, it came down to a last second shot. If that shot wasn't tipped back in we would have won the game."

On why it took time for the team to get into the game in the first half:
"We're at a tough place to play in. Their fans were going crazy, we just had to get used to the court and the atmosphere."